Home
General Information

Show Info
FAQ
Buy a Ticket
Hotel Info
Scooter
Bus Trips
Raffle Quilts
Volunteer
Contest Info
Contest Winners
Special Exhibit
Road to Virginia
Vendors & Classes

Class Information
Faculty Announcement
Faculty Application
Vendor Application
Sponsors
Contact
My Account
Create an Account
Login
Enter
My Home page
Edit my Information
My Entries
My Schedule
Lectures
Show Guide
Change password
Contact Us

Archive for the ‘Road 2015- 20th Anniversary Show’ Category

Registering For Classes

Thursday, June 26th, 2014

Class registration is right around the corner. While the webmaster is moving as fast as she can on getting our 2015 classes online, we thought we should give you all a crash course in our online registration system. 

First, make sure your internet browser plays nicely with others. Our system does not work well with Internet Explorer and some versions of Mozilla Firefox. The most recently updated Google Chrome, and Apple Safari play really nice with others, and have been tested and verified to work on our system. Unfortunately, we have not been able to optimize our website for touch devices (including iPads & iPhones.) 

On the same note, you should make sure prior to online registration that you have installed updates for your internet browser. This is very important to your own personal internet security and will enhance your experience with our online registration program. There is a great how-to article on updating your internet browser on the web that you can find here  

Now that we are done with computer housekeeping, lets move onto the Second Step, logging on. Open that fancy new updated internet browser and navigate to: https://online.roadtocalifornia.com. You should see a photo of our beautiful San Gabriel Mountains kissed with snow and the Road to California logo.  If you remember your email address and password from last year, enter it now and skip ahead.Blog 1

If you don’t remember your password, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Click on Forgot Password. A yellow box should appear (See Photo Below). Fill out all the required information and click change password. Hint: Your new password needs to be 8 characters long and include a capital letter and a number. Blog 2

If you don’t remember your email address, send us an email to: info@roadtocalifornia.com. We will be happy to assist you with your online account. In your email, please include your name, email address and mailing address. We will use that information to find your account and email you a new password. 

If you have not taken a class at Road before, click on the blue create an account link. The following page should appear. Fill out all required fields and click create. Again, your password needs to be 8 characters long and include a capital letter and a number.Blog 3You should now be logged in! On July 11 at 8 AM PDT you can move your mouse to ROAD2015 and click on Register! 

Once you’ve clicked on Register, you will see the following screen. Make sure if you wish to purchase cancellation insurance, you drag over the Cancellation Insurance selection. Simply Click, Drag into your calendar and Release when the calendar turns red. Blog 5

Change the drop down from Miscellaneous Items to the date of the class you wish to register for. Here we have chosen Friday, and want to take Dancing Dots with Nancy Mahoney.Blog 6

Simply Click down on Dancing Dots and Drag the Dancing Dots block over to the calendar (the calendar will turn red) and Release.Blog 7 

Let’s say you also want to take a Sunday class (gotta leave Thursday and Saturday to do some serious shopping in the vendor mall). Being a big fan of stars, you want to take Sparkle Star with Donna Thomas.Blog 8

Click down on Sparkle Star, Drag it over to the calendar and Release. The calendar turns red when you have dragged the class to the proper location. Release when the calendar is red to enroll. Blog 9

What if you change your mind and instead of taking a Friday class, you’d rather take a multi-day class? To remove the Friday class, simply Click on the class under Events/Classes to be Purchased, Drag it out of the calendar and Release.Blog 10 

Multi-Day classes are sorted by the first day they begin. For example, you would love to take a class with Rob Appell, and he happens to be teaching a Three Day Seascape/Landscape Extravaganza starting on Monday! Click on class 1302R, Drag it into the calendar, and Release when the calendar turns red! Blog 11

Once you’ve verified that you’ve got all your classes and cancellation insurance (you can’t add on cancellation insurance after you click register), it’s time to pay and check out! Fill out your credit card information, and verify the contact information we have on file. Once your registration is final, our cancellation policy takes effect, so make sure to read it carefully when classes are posted online! Blog 12

Click Register, and you will be redirected to a page with a confirmation of your registration. You will also receive an email with this information confirming your class enrollment. Take note of the cancellation policy found on the bottom of your confirmation. We will not be granting exceptions for cancellation hardships this year. Please take special care to remember the dates for cancellation. 

That’s it! Class information will be posted by July 1!  Class registration begins on July 13, 2014 at 8 AM PDT! We can’t wait to see you in January!

]]>

How We Choose Classes For Road To California

Monday, June 23rd, 2014

It is almost time to announce our Road to California 2015 classes. Because we are often asked how we come up with our slate of offerings, we wanted to share the planning process that goes in to our class selection. 

The first step is to secure our teachers. Selecting the faculty for Road to California actually begins more than two years prior to an upcoming conference. Carolyn, Matt and Stevii Graves (Road’s consultant and talent scout), search for the newest, upcoming talent (as well as seasoned veterans in the teaching world) that would be a good fit for Road. They look for teachers at trade shows, in trade publications (Stevii does book reviews for IQA) and in blogs on the internet. Searching for teachers is a full time job!teachers_classrooms__i4c6216Choosing the classes can best be summed up as one giant jigsaw puzzle with pieces that don’t fit together! To be certain that we are offering classes that meet the needs and desires of our attendees, we have several methods set in place to ensure that we have a diverse cross section of classes that represent quilters today. We want to make sure that our classes range from Appliqué to Zentangle! teachers_classrooms__i4c6372

We have 22 classrooms with certain rooms better utilized for certain techniques. For example, this year we have Kim Eichler-Messmer teaching a two day class on Fabric Dyeing for quilts. Her classroom must not only be near water, but also be covered with plastic on the floor so that the fabric dye does not damage the carpeting. 

We have received some complaints that Road is primarily catering to the long arm quilter and is not meeting the needs of all quilters. Rather than simply deny this, we would like to provide you with some numbers:

              Three of the 22 rooms are utilized with Longarm Machines (Gammill, Handi Quilters & Innova)  

Two of the 22 rooms are utilized with sit-down, Longarm Machines (Gammill Charm & Handi Quilters Sweet 16). The techniques used in these classes are directly applicable to domestic machines. 

Seven of the 22 rooms have sewing machines provided for attendees (Brother, BabyLock, Bernina, Janome, PFAFF, Viking). These rooms are used for Machine Quilting, Machine Piecing, Machine Applique and many other techniques & projects. teachers_classrooms__i4c6375

Ten of the 22 rooms are utilized for other classes including Hand Work, Fabric Dying, Painting, Bring Your Own Machine classes, etc.teachers_classrooms__i4c6209

Classes for Road 2015 will be posted on our website no later than July 1st and registration begins on-line July 13th.   

We invite you to join us for THE BEST Road to California yet, our 20th Anniversary Conference & Showcase. 

]]>

How To Keep The Kids Entertained This Summer (Part II)

Friday, June 20th, 2014

Summer is the perfect time to encourage the children in your life to sew. With the long, hot days, what could be more fun than staying out of the heat and discovering the fun and sense of accomplishment that sewing brings?

We met several innovative young sewers at Road this year whose mothers encouraged their children to learn to sew:

Haley, Anabell and Michelle are 12 year old triplets who love to sew. Their mother is sewer who started quilting 4 years ago. She signed her daughters up for the kid’s class at Road 2013 to introduce them to sewing. Haley made pillowcases and thought the class “was a fun experience.” She also liked all of the quilt exhibits. Annabell made pillows in the class and enjoyed sorting through all the buttons in the button booths. “Buttons are my hobby,” remarked Annabell. Michelle thought looking at the quilts was “cool” and has started making one herself. They all agreed sewing can be very versatile. Learning to sew has become useful for making clothes because it saves them money. And they have also discovered how all it takes is a needle and thread plus some fabric and they can make blankets._i4c3699_copy

Lizzy is a 7 year old sewer. She came to Road with her mom, Lori, from Temecula, CA. Lori learned to sew from her mother when she was 10 and she has in turn taught her daughter. When Lizzy was just 2 years old, she would watch Lori sew and especially enjoyed turning on and off Lori’s machine!! Lizzie helped Lori baste quilts too. As Lizzy grew, Lori bought some grid Pellon so Lizzie could perfect sewing straight lines. At her young age, Lizzy is already a pretty accomplished sewer. She does both hand and machine sewing and even has her own sewing machine. Lizzie has made napkins, worked with applique, and is looking forward to making her first quilt.Lizzy and Lori

For Road’s 20th Anniversary Show, January 22 – 25, 2015, there will be a youth quilt challenge. More information will be available soon on the Road to California web site: www.road2ca.com.  Who knows? If your children start sewing and quilting now, they may create a winning entry!!!

Sewing+Summer= Tons of fun for everyone!!!

 

    

      

]]>

Meet Valerie Goodwin, Quilt Artist – Exploring The Use of Laser Cutting Technology

Friday, June 6th, 2014

Road to California prides itself on presenting the latest and greatest in the quilting world. Having Valerie Goodwin as one of our teachers for our upcoming 20th Anniversary Conference and Showcase continues this vision.Valerie GoodwinA graduate of Yale University with a Masters Degree in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis Missouri, Valerie Goodwin is an architect, a teacher of architectural design at Florida A & M University, and a quilt artist. Her quilt designs are inspired by the realistic and abstract imagery of maps. Says Valerie, “I am fascinated by the language of lines, shape and pattern…My work is noted for its use of color, emphasis on line, and density. My quilts are part of a continuing investigation of ideas that focus on geometrical relationships, patterns, and ordering principles found in architecture. I try to convey these ideas abstractly, through the use of collage, layering, transparency, density, and improvisation.”   Art Quilt Valerie Goodwin

Valerie’s new passion combines both the digital and the physical realm of creating. This connection came together in the summer of 2013 when Valerie was selected to participate in a 3-week residency at Florida State University’s (FSU) Facilities for Arts Research (FAR). The title of her project was Mapping Time and Place. During her residency, she tested laser settings on over 30 natural and synthetic fabrics.  In addition to exploring combinations of layered materials for her experimental fiber artwork, she also created a binder with fabric samples and laser cutting settings as a resource for future FAR researchers.Art Laser Cutout- Valerie Goodwin

Valerie has continued to fine-tune her experience with the laser cutter and its interaction with fabric. Not only does the laser cut fabrics, but it can also score and etch.

All of this innovative work has sparked a desire with Valerie to share her knowledge with other quilt artists. Road is thrilled for Valerie to be sharing this technique with our guests at Road 2015.Art Quilt Valerie Goodwin2

To learn more about Valerie’s work, please visit her website: Quilts by Valerie

]]>